The invention pertains to a bumper for a motor vehicle, in particular a passenger car, which comprises a cover made of an elastic material and a dimensionally stable beam.
In the case of a known bumper DE-OS No. 28 25 838) of the type mentioned in the introduction, the beam is supported on hydraulic dampers, i.e., the beam has a type of rigidity such that energy is absorbed solely via the dampers. This design involves the disadvantage, however, that the hydraulic dampers cause additional costs and also contribute to increasing the weight of the vehicle.
Thus, a primary object of the present invention is to create a bumper with a cover and a beam, the design of which avoids the above-indicated disadvantages.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, this task is accomplished by making the beam, which is surrounded at least in sections by the cover of elastic material, of a fiberglass-reinforced plastic and connecting it to body elements without dampers in the manner of a beam on two supports that are relatively far outside of a middle longitudinal plane of the vehicle. For this purpose it is advantageous for the beam to feature a transverse part and supports running approximately in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; the ends of these supports are designed for securing the beam by means of attachment elements at the body elements. The transverse part and the supports are interconnected as a single piece. The transverse part, which preferentially features a pipe-shaped cross section, consists of fiberglass-reinforced plastic. Alternatively, the supports are formed by separate parts inserted into the transverse part. In order to achieve a good connection, receiver sections of the parts extend into the transverse part. The parts consists of light metal. Between the ends of these supports and the receiver elements are spacers made of elastic material, and at the ends there are groove openings for the attachment devices. Horns made of an elastic material are mounted at the beam. Each horn features an internal support element which is harder than the rest of the horn.
Two horns located some distance apart are mounted at the transverse part. In approximately the transition area between the transverse part and each support, there is a horn which is mounted obliquely to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The transverse part is equipped with fiberglass-reinforced plastic rods, preferentially along upright cross section areas.
Principal advantages which are achieved by means of the invention are the fact that, because of the arrangement and shape of the beam, the beam absorbs and consumes the shock energy as defined bending, thereby making hydraulic dampers unnecessary and providing savings in cost and weight.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention.